COVID-19 Vaccine in Romania: Vaccination Day – The vaccination campaign officially begins on Sunday, initially in the country’s frontline hospitals. Everything we know so far about the vaccine and the vaccination campaign – Coronavirus

The vaccination campaign begins on December 27 and will be developed in three stages.

According to data collected by the authorities, at the health system level, the highest acceptance rate exceeds 90% in COVID hospitals. In the other medical units, it is 70% among medical personnel with higher education and 50% among those without higher education. A higher acceptance rate is in the case of family doctors, around 80%.

The first 10,000 doses of vaccines arrived on Friday at the “Cantacuzino” National Institute for Medical-Military Research-Development, designated the National Center for the storage of vaccines against COVID-19.

According to the coordinator of the national vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghiță, a person vaccinated against the coronavirus begins to develop immunity after about 14 days from the moment of injecting the first dose.

Furthermore, Pfizer representatives in Romania pointed out that the doses were distributed by land and not by air because it is the safest way to maintain temperature.

The 10 hospitals where the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were distributed

The first tranche of more than 3,000 vaccines was distributed on Saturday to 10 key hospitals in Bucharest and in the country, the first people to be vaccinated will be front-line medical personnel. In Bucharest alone, more than 1,000 doses have been distributed to two hospitals.

According to the authorities, the assignment was as follows:

1. Brașov – Clinical hospital for infectious diseases – 100 doses

2. Bucharest – National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Balș” – 600 doses

3. Bucharest – Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases “Dr. Victor Babeș” – 530 doses

4. Cluj – Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Cluj-Napoca- 375 doses

5. Constanța – Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases, Constan –a – 170 doses

6. Dolj – “Victor Babeș” clinical hospital for infectious diseases and pneumophthisiology, Craiova – 90 doses

7. Iași – Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases – 260 doses

8. Maramureș – Baia Mare – Emergency Hospital – 210 doses

9. Suceava – County emergency hospital “Sfântul Ioan cel Nou” Suceava – 250 doses

10. Timiș – Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases and Pneumophthisiology “Dr. Victor Babeș”, Timișoara – 450 doses.

Depending on the needs of each of the hospitals, the assignments can be changed at any time according to the demand of the units.

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Head of the European Commission on vaccination at EU level: “An emotional moment of unity and a European success story”

The start of the vaccination campaign will not only be in Romania, but throughout the European Union. The Brussels authorities have sent each Member State a “symbolic” section, and the start of the vaccination campaign in unison aims to send a message of unity.

Another 144,000 doses will follow in Romania next week.

The COCOID-19 vaccine is given in two doses. After the 10,000 tranche received on Friday, the authorities expect that by the end of the year, probably around December 28, between 140,000 and 150,000 doses will arrive in Romania, this being the estimate of weekly arrivals from now on.

Prime Minister Florin Cîțu announced on Saturday that some 144,000 doses of vaccine will arrive in Romania next week and, in total, Romania will have around 10 million doses of vaccine, according to the contract signed by the European Commission with BioNTtech / Pfizer .

Each person who is vaccinated will be registered in the National Immunization Registry and will receive a certificate in Romanian and English. STS is also developing an application to schedule vaccination.

What do we know about the messenger RNA vaccine?

The vaccines that reached Romania are those produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and are messenger RNA-type vaccines. They are recommended for people over 16 years old. Furthermore, experience related to use in pregnant women is limited.

Furthermore, the duration of protection provided by the vaccine is unknown and is still being determined by ongoing clinical trials.

READ HERE the summary of the characteristics of “Comirnaty” – the vaccine against COVID-19 developed by BioNTech and Pfizer – the first vaccine authorized by the European Commission, now available in Romania

Vaccines using messenger RNA technology use a messenger RNA sequence that, once introduced into cells, conveys the message to synthesize the Spike protein, the surface protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The amount of messenger RNA corresponding to a vaccine dose is standardized, which will ensure the production of a predefined level of Spike protein. The identification in the human body of this protein as foreign triggers an immune response that is responsible for developing immunity against COVID-19.

Basically, the messenger RNA is the “manual” according to which human cells learn to produce the Spike protein, so that the body can build the necessary mechanisms to be able to defend itself against COVID-19 if it comes into contact with the SARS-CoV2 virus. says the source. aforementioned.

Allergic reactions

Allergic reactions are possible with any substance, including the vaccine, but they are rare. The frequency of occurrence is specified in the package insert for each product and is derived from data obtained from clinical trials. For the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19, no serious allergic reactions were seen in the phase 3 studies (involving 44,000 people), but several cases of allergic reactions to the vaccine were reported after the vaccine was approved. emergency in the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made recommendations for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the site dedicated to vaccination, experts believe that the vaccine can be administered safely even to patients with a history of allergies, but should be avoided in those who have a history of severe allergic reactions to substances in the vaccine.

However, the UK Medicines and Medicines Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has recommended that people with a history of allergies (whether to food or drugs) avoid vaccination. Therefore, anaphylactic reactions occur in the context of a pre-existing personal field and are adverse reactions that, although known from all vaccines, are rare and do not represent an adverse effect that most people who get vaccinated face, he said. the fountain.

In addition to the Cantacuzino Institute, which will be the main storage center for the anti-COVID-19 vaccine, 6 regional centers will be organized in military hospitals, which have the capacity to keep the vaccine at a temperature of minus 80 degrees. The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine must be transported and stored at a temperature of minus 80 degrees.

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Stage I – social and health workers – public and private system:

• Hospital staff and outpatient units (medical staff, auxiliary staff, administrative staff, security and other categories);
• Emergency medicine system personnel: ambulance, SMURD, IGSU, IJSU, guard rooms, CPU, UPU;
• Primary care personnel: from the network of family medicine, school medicine and community care;
• Laboratory personnel, pharmacies and other health workers;
• Dental services personnel;
• Resident physicians, medical students and students;
• Paramedics and other volunteers who work in health facilities;
• Care staff working in residential and medical and social centers;
• Personnel providing medical and social assistance at home;
• Public health services personnel (National Institute of Public Health, Public Health Directorates);
• The personnel of the health units of the ministries with their own health network;
• Dialysis and transfusion center staff;
• Personnel involved in carrying out vaccination campaigns.

Stage II High-risk population

• Adults over 65 years of age;
• People with chronic diseases, regardless of age, according to the indications of the vaccines used.

Workers working in key, key areas:

• Key personnel for the operation of state institutions (parliament, presidency, government, ministries and institutions subordinate to them);
• Personnel in matters of defense, public order, national security and the judiciary;
• Personnel in the vital economic sector:
• Processing, distribution and commercialization of basic foods (bakery, dairy, meat, fruits and vegetables);
• Water plants, water treatment, transportation and distribution;
• Power plants, production, transmission and distribution of electricity;
• Gas production, transmission and distribution units;
• Units for the production, transport and distribution of liquid and solid fuels;
• Units for the production, transport and distribution of medicines and medical supplies;
• Transportation of people and goods;
• Railroad crossings, civil and military airports, essential ports;
• Communications (special national telecommunications, radio and television service);
• School and nursery staff;
• Postal and courier staff;
• The personnel of religious cults;
• Media personnel who carry out activities with an increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection (for example: reports in medical units);
• Sanitation and waste personnel.

Stage III (general population)

• Adult population;
• Pediatric population, depending on the epidemiological evolution and the characteristics of the vaccines approved for use in children under 18 years of age.